Here is this week’s podcast. Kendall Rogers touches on a number of topics related not only to Arkansas, but the SEC and college baseball as a whole. Chris Curry, the head coach at UALR, also joined me to talk about next week’s in-state matchup, his team and his time at Arkansas.
You brought out the big guns for this one! I’ve got a long drive tomorrow, looking forward to having this to listen to now.
How much longer do you think we will stay with Noland on Saturday??
who puts on a show in batting practice is there anybody we would be surprised that has a lot of power…
Is there any concern with our freshman pitchers other than noland and wicklandernot being able to throw strikes considered we lose pretty much all of our bullpen after this year.
Is there reason to be concerned about the amount of errors Casey Martin is making? He is not throwing the ball or Fielding it very well which can hurt us in a close game.
Glad I can tag along. 
I think this is a big week for Noland to prove himself, but he has not pitched poorly; just had one bad outing against Alabama when he wasn’t helped by the defense behind him during the crooked inning. He worked around early trouble against Missouri, then was really sharp and didn’t allow a base runner for a few innings. He was brilliant the first five innings against Louisiana Tech.
The batting practice stars - 5 o’clock Cowboys, as Bubba Carpenter calls them - are the ones you’d expect. Goodheart really hits the ball hard, although he doesn’t hit a bunch of home runs. One player you’d be surprised to know has a lot of batting power? Elijah Trest. I’ve seen him crush some balls.
I don’t think there is any reason for concern about the freshman pitchers. Remember 2016? The freshman pitchers who were inconsistent that year were Blaine Knight, Kacey Murphy, Isaiah Campbell, Barrett Loseke, Jake Reindl and Cody Scroggins. They turned out OK. Pitchers grow and some are late bloomers. It’s like Matt Hobbs told me recently, the development never stops.
Martin is going to make some errors. He did the same thing at third base last year, too. But he’s also going to make some great plays. It reminds me a little bit of Michael Bernal, who could make the routine look difficult and the difficult look routine. It’s also worth noting that Martin went almost a month without an error before this latest batch.
I know “roster management” has been a hot button issue in another round ball sport on campus… but I’m pretty impressed that after all we lost at the end of last season, we’re 21-4 and we only have 1 true freshmen starting in the lineup on a regular basis, and really only 2 freshmen making an impact on the mound on the weekends. That’s roster management and development right there.
I think it shows how much talent was on the team last year. There were good players like Casey Opitz, Jacob Kostyshock and Jacob Nesbit waiting in the wings, but just couldn’t get onto the field. Marshall Denton redshirted because he wasn’t going to get into the bullpen rotation.
Matt, is there any chance Kopps could get some kind of medical hardship for last season so that he could add one more year of draft leverage here? Or do you think he’ll be gone if he gets drafted this summer?
It’s a cinch that he’ll get a medical hardship for Tommy John, so he’ll have two more drafts with leverage. I’d be shocked if he wasn’t back in 2020.
That’s good to hear. I figured he would be back if he could get that year of eligibility back. I’d expect him to be a big piece of the pitching staff next year and maybe a weekend starter.
He sure looked good at Alabama. His velo seemed a little higher also, if the gun was right. I think he hit 93-94 on Sunday?
I remember the first time I saw Kostyshock pitch - in the Frisco tournament a couple of years ago - I wondered how/why he ever got a scholarship. Oh, I knew he was a freshman but I just didn’t think he’d ever be one of our front-line “dudes”. Two years later, he’s throwing smoke and is an important part of our big-game relief strategy.
If they’ve got “stuff” - and these kids do - most of them will eventually figure it out, with good coaching. Some won’t, but “enough” will. And, there’s more help on the way (if we can keep MLB away from them).
The coaches are real honest with the players who can’t cut it as freshmen and most pack their bags for JUCO. Typically when I see a player come back as a sophomore, I know the coaches think he will develop into a good player. It doesn’t always work out that way, but it does more often than not.
Matt are there any of the incoming freshman capable of making an impact like Noland and Wicklander have?
Not Matt, but a nuanced aspect to your question . . . when? This season, next year or before they leave campus.
The answer may vary depending on what time-line you are inquiring about. See my comments on Kostyshock above.
I am asking him are there any freshman that are coming into play next year capable of making a big impact we are losing a whole lot of our bullpen and our Friday night starter we’re going to need some of those guys come in and be productive right away imo
There’s really no way to know right now, in my opinion. That might can be answered after the draft and after fall practice.
A little late here, but come on Matt! I was cruising along enjoying your podcast, and then you just had to go and bring up the CWS final!
Slap a warning on it next time: The following podcast contains audio that some listeners may find disturbing, listener discretion is advised.
Besides that, it was another great episode.